Aaron Broussard indictment is the tip of the iceberg in Jefferson Parish

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The indictment of former Jefferson Parish President Aaron Broussard last week for parish payroll fraud appears to be just the beginning of the Feds’ crackdown on political corruption in the parish. Broussard, his ex-wife Karen Parker, and former parish attorney Tom Wilkinson are all accused of bilking the parish out of hundreds of thousands of dollars.

The 33-count indictment lays out the scheme in vivid detail. It was nepotism at it’s finest. Essentially, Broussard set up his wife in a well-paying parish job that she was not trained to do. It tripled her salary even though she did not have the proper degree to normally get such a position. The then-parish attorney also benefited with increased salary beyond what was appropriate and required.

What’s interesting: this particular indictment will only be the first of possibly several coming from the Feds for Broussard and company. Let’s not forget about the alleged fraud that started it all: the West Jeff hospital insurance scam with former parish 2nd in command Tim Wittmer and Broussard. Throw in the River Birch landfill debacle and you’ve got major problems for Broussard and his crew and for Jefferson Parish in general.

The indictments of Broussard and his friends are painful for residents in Jefferson Parish but they are a positive step in ridding the parish of political corruption that has been plaguing Jefferson for far too long.